Friday, 24 January 2014

Panic at Turkish Borders

Turkey seals border against al-Qaeda

The turmoil on the
Turkish border is likely to intensify following major operations by
the Syrian army in Aleppo and Idlib. The regime's move pushed
opposition forces northward against the border and prompted
infighting between them. At the moment, the Turkish
border, already the scene of crucial developments because of
crossings of refugees, militants, arms and ammunition as well
as traditional smugglers, had become even more volatile because
of the clashes between the Islamic Front and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic
State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

The Syrian border
crossings of Bab al-Salameh, Carablus and Tal Abyad, which face the
Turkish crossings of Kilis-Oncupinar, Gaziantep-Karkamis and
Sanliurfa-Akcakale, respectively, were captured by ISIS one after the other.
When Turkey closed the crossings because of this development, the trucks
waiting there to cross into Syria were diverted to the Cilvegozu
border crossing at Reyhanli-Hatay. But after the Jan. 20 car-bomb attacks
at Syria’s Bab al-Hawa facing Cilvegozu, Turkey closed this crossing as
well. The queue of trucks waiting at Cilvegozu was 30 kilometers (19
miles) long on Jan. 22. Only Syrians wanting to go back to their
country are allowed to cross.

FSA - FREE SYRIAN ARMY escapes to Turkey:

A senior official told Al-Monitor that
although Bab al-Hawa is technically under the control of the Free Syrian Army
(FSA), ISIS has a presence in the area and
passages are therefore risky. He said, "There was stiff opposition to
al-Qaeda at Tal Abyad, which is across from our Akcakale border
crossing. But when al-Qaeda got the upper hand in the clashes, FSA people
manning the crossing abandoned their weapons at the border and escaped to
Turkey. Turkmen villages in the area were evacuated. At the moment, there
is no force other than al-Qaeda at Tal Abyad. That is why we had to seal off
the Akcakale border crossing. Three hundred trucks a day used to pass
through that crossing. Now the owners of the Akcakale-based truck fleets have
formed a pressure group and they want us to reopen the crossing. They say
they have commercial obligations and they have to deliver. According to
them, al-Qaeda has transferred control of the crossing to civilians. Turkey is
now assessing the situation but if you ask me, to allow trucks to cross from
there would only benefit al-Qaeda because although ISIS may have withdrawn, it
is al-Qaeda that actually controls the crossing."

The official continued,
"There was a long clash at Carablus about a week ago. In the end,
the Tawhid Brigade gave up and ran away. About 1,500-2,000 civilians
living in tents near the border also crossed into Turkey. These were people who
had escaped from clashes at Hama and Homs. Most of them are Turkmen. Turkey was
keeping them in camps on the Syrian side instead of letting them cross
into Turkey. But when the border was closed, humanitarian assistance was
disrupted and Turkey had to accept these refugees."

He concluded, “There
were bomb attacks in the town of Azez across from our Oncupinar. At Bab al-Hawa
across from Cilvegozu, control is in the hands of the Islamic Front.”

One can sense a martial
command in the region, especially to the east, where the Kurds are. The
Nusaybin, Senyurt and Ceylanpinar crossings that provide access to Qamishli,
Derbesiye and Serekaniye are controlled by the Kurds and already are
closed. According to the official who spoke to Al-Monitor, vehicles
going to Qamishli are processed at the Habur border crossing. At Senyurt,
humanitarian assistance trucks are occasionally allowed through. That
Turkey erected a wall at Nusaybin to prevent illegal crossings was
interpreted as enmity toward Kurds and a challenge to Kurdish
efforts to set up an autonomous region in Rojava.

The official said it is
impossible to prevent illegal crossings on a border of 910 kilometers (565
miles), but the least Turkey could do would be to devise policies that
would discourage the villagers on the Turkish side from joining the smuggling enterprises common
there.

Alarm over terror

Another reason for Turkey’s increased vigilance on the
border is the intelligence gathered on al-Qaeda’s intentions to
stage attacks in Turkish cities. The latest report reaching the security units
concerned ISIS plans to launch suicide attacks in Ankara, Istanbul
and Hatay.

Intelligence reports
said ISIS was specifically targeting the big hotels where the FSA and the
Syrian National Coalition hold their meetings, hence the urgent warning sent to
police and the gendarmerie. Turkey’s support of the Islamic Front, which is now
fighting ISIS, and the recent detentions of al-Qaeda militants in some cities
have increased fears that Turkey itself may be targeted.

Re Edited By: KANWAL ABIDI

*Political Analyst & Journalist

Information Gathered from: FEHIM TASHIKENT

*columnist and chief editor of foreign news at the Turkish newspaper Radikal, based in Istanbul.

About Me

No one knows where the life will lead us to! But only if we work to the cause of "justice" and to give a helping hand to others, then , we can see the path of truth! We all are accustomed to follow the rules of the traditions and not be ourselves, but ,,,,,,Changing the image of the Limestone, Achieving for the Milestone! How can you achieve the Best, if you shall settle like the Rest!????!